Weather sealing mechanism



April 10, 1951 s- M FUNK 2,548,716

I WEATHER SEALING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 7, 1947 N INVENTOR. 5am/L f7. fz/NK.

Patented Apr. 10, 1951 Samuel M. Funk, Muncie, Ind. Application November 7, 1947, Serial N0. 784,664

This invention relates to a weather sealing mechanism for use particularly with doors.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a mechanism for weather sealing doors which will be eiiicient, effective, and of simple construction.

Various weather sealing structures have heretofore been in common use. A great majority of these comprise merely a door bottom strip wherein the rubber shod felt sealer remains in a lixed, stationary position flush with the threshold. There are several disadvantages connected with such strips. For example, it is common in most homes to have a carpet or throw rug on the oor immediately inside the threshold. By reason of the fact that the standard strips remains in a xed position as aforesaid, it follows that upon opening the door, the strip pushes back any throw rug lying there. In the event the floor is carpeted, it is difficult to open the door by reason of the friction of the strip against carpet.

In addition to these disadvantages, there is a considerable amount of wear upon the sealing strip through its contact with the rugs or carpet. As the strip becomes worn it naturally becomes less effective a a seal. This fact is Well recognized, since most of the standard sealing strips are themselves provided with slotted screw holes for use in compensating for the wear. By reason, however, of the nuisance value attending any such adjustment, and the diii'iculties in actually making the adjustment, the standard sealing strips have encountered considerable sales resistance.

It is an object of this invention tofprovide a weather sealing mechanism wherein the sealing strip or apron rises automatically when the door is opened and thereby clears the threshold and any rugs or carpet which may be lying just inside thereof.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide such a mechanism wherein the operating parts lie within a housing secured to the bottom of the door. The advantage of such a location stems primarily fromthe fact that the mechanism does not detract in any way from the appearance and attractiveness of the door. In addition, by placing the operating mechanism within the housing it is protected from the elements and consequently has a much longer operating life.

'Ihe chief feature of the invention resides in the pin or plunger which is connected to the apron or sealing strip. When the pin comes 1 Claim. (Cl. 2li-67)' into engagment with the jamb or casing, upon the door being closed, the apron is caused to swing downwardly thereby bringing the sealing means in sealing contact with the threshold.

Another yfeature of the invention resides in the use of a spring` metal strip which is connected to the upper portion of said apron. Whilethe engagement of the pin with the jamb as aforesaid, causesthe apron to swing downwardly against the tension of the spring metal strip, when and as the door .is opened the spring causes the apronto swing upwardly immediately to its normal substantially horizontal position. As a consequence, the door can swing open without the apron obstructing its movement Iand can clear any rugs or carpet `which may be lying just inside the threshold.

The full nature of the invention will be under-A stood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claim:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal section View taken on line I-I of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section view of the inven-y tion showing the position of its parts when the door to which it is secured is in a closed posi-- tion.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section View showing the: invention when the door is open.

Fig. 4 is a section view taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings I0 shows the lower part yof,l an ordinary house door which has been short-v ened to enable the invention to be secured tov it. The invention is mounted within a housing II which has vertically disposed side walls I2, and end walls I3, but is open at the bottom., Extending longitudinally of the housing adjacent. the upper end thereof is a partition I 4 formed preferably of Ia metallic substance. The upper portion of the housing is affixed to the lowermost portion of the door I0 by screws Ida, the bottom of the door resting upon the upper surface of the partition I4.

Secured by screws I5 to the oppositely disposed end walls I3 of the housing II, and adjacent the bottom thereof, are the bearing plates I6 each of which has an opening I'I Kand I8,

n respectively, formed therein, Journalled within the openings of said bearings is the shaft I9. Encircled about the shaft I9 and extending outwardly therefrom is a substantially U-shaped casing 20 which is adapted to receive and retain therein the apron or sealing strip 2|.

Secured to the lower surface of said partition Il by screws 22 is a spring metal strip 23 which is connected to the casing 20 by a link 24.

Similarly secured by screws 25 and 26 to the under surface of the partition I4 adjacent one of the end walls I3 is a guideway 21. Within this guideway is slidably mounted the pin 28. This pin comprise a horiozntally disposed member 29 which is herein shown as being circular in cross section, and the vertically disposedmember 30 which has a groove or detent 3| formed adjacent its lower end, thereby adapting it to receive the casing 23 therewithin in nested relation when the door is open (see Fig. 3).

The lower end of the pin member 36 extends slightly inwardly and is connected by link 32 to the lower portion of the U-shaped part of the casing 2D.

When the door is open, the tension of the spring strip 23 pulls the casing 20 and the apron or sealing strip '2l secured therewith in a friction grip,V upwardly in a substantially horizontal position (see Fig. 3). However, when the door I6 is closed the pin member 29 comes into engagement with the door jamb, casing, or frame 33 and is thereby forced rearwardly. The pin member Sil is thereby also forced rearwardly causing the casing 2i? to be pulled downwardly by means of the link 32. The sealing strip 2! is then in eifective sealing engagement with the threshold 34 of the doorway. As aforementioned, when the door is opened, the tension of the spring strip 23 pulls the sealing strip casing 2G upwardly and the pin members 39 and 29 are thereby pulled forwardly so that the member 29 is again in cocked position.

In order to provide effective insulation against the elements, rock wool or other insulating material may be placed within the housing Il.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in great detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character.

It is to be understood that while the drawings and description herein have shown and described the invention in connection with a door, that it can just as readily be applied to and used with a window or other similar closure.

The invention claimed is:

A weather sealing mechanism for a door and frame therefor comprising a housing removably secured to the lower edge of said door and having side and end walls, one of said side walls having an aperture formed therethrough in confronting relation to a portion of the door frame, a rock shaft journalled in the end Walls of said housing, flexible sealing means associated with said shaft and rockable therewith into and out of sealing engagement with a threshold, a leaf spring connected adjacent one of its ends to the lower edge of said door and intermediate the ends thereof, an element connecting the free end of said spring with the upper face of said sealing means, said spring normally constraining said sealing means out of engagement with said threshold when the door is in open position, a transversely disposed guideway connected to said lower edge adjacent one end thereof, a member slidably mounted in said guideway and normally extending through said aperture beyond the side wall of said housing, said member having a vertically disposed depending portion formed at its rear extremity, a second element connecting the lower extremity of said depending portion to the lower face of said sealing means, whereby upon door closure said slidable element is forced rearwardly by said door frame, thereby moving said sealing means into sealing engagement with said threshold.

SAMUEL M. FUNK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED S".[`A1"ESv PATENTS Number Name Date 1,994,645 Hazzard Mar. 19, 1935 2,033,241 Hawk Mar. 10, 1936 2,053,793 Johnson Sept. 8, 1936 `2,206,183 Goodfellow July 2, 1940 

